Mohammad Younis

Mohammad Younis works on designing, modeling and characterizing micro-electro-mechanical systems (MEMS) devices and structures with a focus on their mechanical and motion aspects. His research, which has been funded by the National Science Foundation, the Office of Naval Research, General Electric and Binghamton’s Integrated Electronics Engineering Center, combines materials and chemical engineering with physics. Younis designs novel MEMS sensors and switches, with particular attention to the creation of a single device that can serve as both sensor and trigger. The technology could be used to protect electronics such as cell phones, preventing damage when they are dropped. Or it could help govern major systems such as missile defense to prevent accidental deployment.

Younis holds a patent for a MEMS device that would detect acceleration and mechanical shock. The device would be able to recognize when something crashed with a high level of force and then perform a desirable task. Applications range from protecting the hard disk of a laptop computer to deploying a side-impact air bag. He has another patent pending on a device that would detect a lower level of acceleration. That innovation could prove useful in gas drilling, navigation systems and even earthquake detection. He is also working on smart gas sensors that can simultaneously perform an action upon detection.